When vengeance strikes in the form of a bullet out for the princess's blood, Princess Aleia VonAuclair must flee the heart of her country in order to protect the people she loves and take back the pieces of her soul she'd lost to the girl she once l...
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The hospital's Family Picnic Day was being hosted at a retail strip mall that'd been put out of business a year ago, but since the ice rink was a city favourite, there were a few people who still worked to maintain it.
I walked the short distance from the car to the entrance, and a wisp of restless energy rattled my lungs. I'd tried to keep my cool all morning but when faced with the fact that I was attending a family picnic day with Edrian's family, nothing could get my heart to slow down from its nervous pace.
The steep temperatures, while brisk, were still within mild ranges for the picnic to take place in an outdoor setting without the need for heaters to ward off the bite of the breeze.
The hospital sat just across the street, the bustle of patients and staff alike trickling in and out as I walked closer to the entrance.
The dry air nipped away at the pads of my exposed fingers as they clutched onto a basket of muffins in one hand and my tote bag in the other. Edrian had offered to pick me up from my house earlier in the morning but the thought of being in an enclosed space - alone - with him for even just twenty minutes made my heart jump straight into my throat.
I scoured my eyes through the crowd near the ice rink in search of a familiar face. Edrian's mom supposedly got off her shift at 11, and while it was nearly 11.30, I couldn't spot her anywhere.
Anxiety leaked through my veins at all the unfamiliar faces chattering and laughing away and I unconsciously started tearing away at the tender flesh inside my cheeks.
"Stop doing that."
I whirled around so fast that the breeze from my movement blew the skirt of my blush pink dress up an inch. The hem of the cotton material ended just above my knees, which I admit, wasn't entirely the most appropriate attire for the early December weather but since, I wanted to dress up for the event, I'd borrowed Cara's skin tone tights. The woolen material was much warmer and comfortable than I'd anticipated.
"Sorry. I'm just nervous. I've never been to one of these before."
His attention swiftly roved over the half updo of my dark hair, down the planes of my dress to the ankle boots clad on my feet and back up to the rising pink dusting my flushed cheeks.
"Don't be. Everybody's either too tired or too busy eating to care."
"Are you sure nobody minds I'm here?"
"Peaches, this isn't an exclusive, invite only party with the President. You're fine."
I nodded, breathing out a delicate exhale. "Right. But if anybody asks, I'm your very distant cousin."
"Nobody's going to ask. And Peaches, I swear to God, if that basket is for anyone else but you, I'm going to drag you to wherever you bought it from and force you return it."
I laughed and held out the basket of muffins towards him with a sly smile, and his answering look amused me enough to subdue my earlier nerves. His eyes dropped to the basket where they took on a hint of exasperation and then back to me.
